To the right of the panning controls you will find a box showing the name of the map background you are currently viewing.

To change the map background:

Click on the name of the current map

A drop-down menu will appear

Click on the map you wish to view

Bing map - With no building outlines or minor features, the standard Bing map has a crisp appearence.

Mapbox/OSM - This is the most detailed map available on sketchmap, and is based on 'OpenStreetMap'. It includes building outlines and natural features not shown on other maps. Read more about OpenStreetMap.

Just above the map screen is a set of tools for drawing, inserting text, placing symbols and deleting annotations:

Select a drawing tool:

To select a drawing tool:

Click on the green down arrow (v) to the right of 'Line/shape'

A drop-down menu will appear

Click on the green symbol for the tool you wish to use

The appearance of your cursor will change

Line/shape - draw straight lines and shapes with straight edges

Place the cursor at your starting position and click

Move the cursor and then click again when you want to change direction

Double click to finish

Text box - draw a box into which you can type text

Place the cursor at your starting position

Click and hold, drag the cursor diagonally and then release

A panel will appear prompting you to 'Type text here...'

Options beneath this panel allow you to change the appearence of your text

Arrow - draw an arrow

Place the cursor where you want your arrow to begin

Click and hold, drag the cursor to your target and then release

Square - draw a square or rectangle

Place the cursor at your starting position

Click and hold, drag the cursor diagonally and then release

Circle - draw a circle

Place the cursor at your starting position - this will be the centre of your circle

Click and hold, drag the cursor away from the starting position and then release

Sketch - sketch a line

Hold the mouse down to sketch

Release mouse button to finish sketch

Change colours and appearence

Double click on any drawing and a panel will open. Options in this panel allow you to change the appearence of your drawing:

Colour - changes the colour within a shape

Click on the box to the right of 'colour'

A palette will appear

Click on your selected colour

Pattern - changes the pattern within a shape

Click on the green down arrow (v) to the right of 'Pattern'

A drop-down menu will appear

Click on your selected pattern

Transparency - changes the transparency of a shape

Click on the green down arrows to the right of the percent box to increase or reduce transparency

Alternatively, type a percentage value into the box

Style - changes the style of a line or the outline of a shape

Click on the green down arrow (v) to the right of 'Style'

A drop-down menu will appear

Click on your selected style

Thickness - changes the thickness of a line or outline of a shape

Click on the green arrows to the right of the 'px' box to increase or reduce thickness

Alternatively, type a value between 1-10 into the box

Choosing a colour

Click on any colour within the palette to apply that colour to your annotation

Adjust the saturation slider to the right of the colour palette by clicking and dragging it, or clicking the '+' and '-' icons. This will adjust the saturation of the colours in the palette, to either a more pale or a brighter shade

Any colour you choose will be added to the 'Recent colours' rack, making it easy to re-select for other drawings

Alternatively, select 'No colour' for your selected feature to have no fill/outline colour

Measurements - Displays the area/perimeter/radius of a shape or the length of a line.

To change the units of a measurement:

Click on the green down arrow (v) to the right of the 'Hectares/Km' box

A drop-down menu will appear

Click on your selected unit of measurement

To automatically add these measurements to your map as a text label:

Click on the green 'Aa' symbol to the right of the displayed measurement

Edit the shape or position of a drawing

Select and move a drawing

Click on a drawing to 'select' it

Circular symbols will appear at each corner or change of direction along the outline

A box displaying the measurements of that drawing will appear in the top-right of the map

The mouse cursor will change to a multi-directional arrow. Click and drag to move your drawing

Resize a rectangle/square/circle

Click on a rectangle/square/circle to 'select' it

A dotted outline box will appear around the drawing

The small white squares at each corner of the box are 'handles'

Click on one of the 'handles' and hold, drag to the desired size then release

Resize a line/shape

Click on a line/shape to 'select' it

Circular symbols will appear at each change of direction along the line/shape outline. These are called 'nodes'

Click on one of the 'nodes' and hold, drag to the desired position, then release

Insert a symbol

Sketchmap allows you to insert useful symbols indicating the location of landmarks and other points of interest.The 'Insert symbol' function can be found on the toolbar just above the map screen:

To the left of the map screen you will find a list of 'map layer' headings. Click on the green '?' to the right of a heading for further information about that particular layer.

Expand layer headings

To see what is under a particular heading:

Click on the '+' box to the left of your chosen heading

Sub-headings will appear

View a map layer

Click on the box beside a sub-heading

Click on the box again to switch the layer off

NB: Some layers can only be viewed at particular scales. If the box beside a heading or sub-heading is grey, you will be unable to click on it. Zoom in on the map until the box is no longer grey. You will now be able to click on it.

For more detailed information about the map layers available, please see data sources.

View information about a map layer or feature

With map layer/s displayed, click on a feature or area

An information box will appear listing which layers apply to that feature or area

Click on the box beside one of the layers on the list

Another information box will appear giving specific information about the feature or area

NB: The information in this box will vary. Some will contain hyperlinks to external websites which offer more detailed information.

Before a map you created can be printed it must first be downloaded to your computer as a PDF document.

To view a preview your map:

Click on the green 'Printer' button just above the map screen on the right

The map screen will show a preview of your map. From here you can change the page orientation, or insert additional text or a title

Change page orientation

Click on either the 'portrait' or 'landscape' symbols to the right of 'Orientation'

Insert map title

Click on 'Click here to insert map title' just above the map

Insert text - to a maximum of 28 characters

Insert extra text

Click on 'Click here to insert extra text' just beneath the map

Insert text into the box. Text which is too large to appear on a single page will automatically spill over onto a second page

NB: You cannot pan, zoom, add or edit drawings at this stage. If you want to make changes to your map, click on 'Back to map view' in the top left, or the 'X' in the top right hand corner of your map preview.

Download the map to your computer:

When you are happy with the appearance of your map, click on the 'Download map' icon to save it to your computer. You can rename your map before saving it.

NB: Maps created on sketchmap are not saved and cannot be accessed at a later date via the website, unless you also create a 'map share' link as well. Upon closing sketchmap, any maps you have created will be lost. It is therefore important to save a copy to your own computer.

Print your map from your computer:

Once your map has been downloaded as a PDF to your computer, it can be printed when opened in Adobe Reader.